Bill Text: NY A10609 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to requiring voting materials to be provided in Russian.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Vetoed) 2012-10-05 - tabled [A10609 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-A10609-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         10609
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                     June 7, 2012
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Cymbrowitz,
         Weinstein, Brook-Krasny, Colton) -- read  once  and  referred  to  the
         Committee on Election Law
       AN  ACT  to  amend  the election law, in relation to voting materials in
         Russian
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1. Section 3-506 of the election law, as added by chapter 244
    2  of the laws of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
    3    S 3-506. Boards of elections; voting materials in Russian. A board  of
    4  elections in a city of over one million shall provide [the same informa-
    5  tion  in Russian that it provides in languages other than English on its
    6  website. It] ALL INFORMATION  THAT  IS  PROVIDED  BY  SUCH  A  BOARD  OF
    7  ELECTIONS IN ENGLISH ABOUT THE ELECTORAL PROCESS, INCLUDING REGISTRATION
    8  OR  VOTING  NOTICES, FORMS, INSTRUCTIONS, ASSISTANCE AS WELL AS INFORMA-
    9  TION PROVIDED AT THE POLLING PLACE,  INCLUDING  VOTING  SYSTEMS,  BALLOT
   10  MARKING  DEVICES  AND  BALLOTS  IN RUSSIAN TO THE EXTENT NEEDED TO ALLOW
   11  VOTERS WHO SPEAK RUSSIAN TO PARTICIPATE  EFFECTIVELY  IN  THE  ELECTORAL
   12  PROCESS  AND  ALL  VOTING-CONNECTED  ACTIVITIES. SUCH BOARD OF ELECTIONS
   13  SHALL ALSO PROVIDE THE SAME INFORMATION IN RUSSIAN THAT IT  PROVIDES  IN
   14  LANGUAGES  OTHER  THAN  ENGLISH  ON ITS WEBSITE. SUCH BOARD OF ELECTIONS
   15  shall also produce and disseminate citywide a booklet that includes: (a)
   16  a voter registration form in English with instructions in  Russian;  (b)
   17  instructions  in  Russian regarding the criteria and application process
   18  for obtaining an absentee ballot; and (c) a section with  general  voter
   19  information  in Russian including frequently asked questions. Such board
   20  may include other languages on its website and in such booklet.
   21    S 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
   22  it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition,  amend-
   23  ment  and/or repeal of any rules or regulations necessary for the imple-
   24  mentation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made on
   25  or before such date.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD16185-02-2